


The Gift of Being

by lilypond8



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe, Child trauma, Everyone physically reverts to when they became nobodies, Found Family, Gen, I guess i shoud tag, Kingdom Hearts III Speculation, Multi, Other, Post-Kingdom Hearts II, Pre-Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance, Re-completed AU, baby ienzo, but like he's ok, he just has to accept it, will get there, young Ienzo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-03-26
Packaged: 2019-11-15 02:24:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18064757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilypond8/pseuds/lilypond8
Summary: A child used as a pawn in someone else's game has to learn to cope with the life he's been given, now that his piece has been discarded.Re-completed Au: Everyone returns to the ages they were when they became nobodies





	1. Sleep

There was a light. A light that shone so bright that it cut through the darkness. And that light was drawn to him- or at least what was left of him. He was broken- shattered into a million glass-like pieces that reflected the life he once called his own. There wasn’t much, only the accursed curiosity that brought him to this end. So young and naive...he wonders if he were a little older, a little more steadfast in beliefs he’d yet had the opportunity to even develop, if things would have turned out differently.  It matters not, here, at the brink of existence. But the light, the light that meticulously sought out each and every shard of his heart and mended the cracks. He was made whole again, complete. But he could have never imagined the pain. The pain of being stitched back together, to be pulled back from the very edge of non-existence and forced back into a life willingly abandoned. The pain of being... but, then again, he supposes that if existence itself were a burden, the ones who turned their back on it would experience the pains of death all over again. That is the last thing he thinks, before his consciousness leaves him, and he is enveloped in the pain that is light.   
  
The next time he opens his eyes, he is on his back, facing the stars. It’s a familiar sight, one he’s seen countless times, and yet it enraptures his attention. The names of constellations and stars stave off a impending headache.   
  
_ (“Look around you, child.” He looks up at the evening sky, and watches as stars begin peek out from behind pale languid clouds. “This is it.” The figure out stretches their arms towards that endless vista of night, “This is why we research. Spending days testing hypotheses and gathering data, to understand the world around us.” Again, they motion to the night sky. Umber colored clouds reflect the last of the sun's rays, finally giving way to night and letting the stars truly shine. They’re so bright, he almost reaches out to touch them. He hopes to never forget this moment. He turns back to his companion, taking in the knowing smile. It’s embarrassing to be so easily read, but they make no judgments, only approaching to say, “Everything you see above you, is in here.” Their hand lightly touches the lab coat he dawns, where his heart is and he remembers for the first time, having a desire to understand.) _   
  
The vision dissolves into static, and he is left clutching his skull, rolling on the ground. The pain is excruciating, coming in waves that feel as if they could go on forever. And then, it stops. Suddenly and without warning, the pain ends and he is left with more questions than answers.   
  
_ Who was that? What is this place? Who am I? _   
  
Thoughts of identity frustrate him. It makes no sense to question something so steadfast and tangible. A name is not just a name, he knows that. It is a history of actions to others, a mask created within the confines of the heart. He tries to remember. And yet thoughts of his past, who he was, and who he has become, bring no revelations, only headaches.   
  
The clash of metal pulls him from his own head, and curiosity has him follow it. Light and careful steps in an empty hedge garden, until the plants give way to a equally empty plaza. The stone work, the fountains, the garden- he knows this place. It’s not exactly as he remembers it, a little rougher around the edges, but this is it, this is his home. Another strike of a sword has him shrinking back behind the hedge, all attention now focused on the conflict in front of him. Two men, one clad in the cloth of the king’s guard, the other, shrouded in black robes, clash at the plaza’s center.    
  
“Lexaeus, you disappoint me.” The tall silhouette says, breaking their stalemate. His voice is deep, commanding and...familiar. In that way that makes his skin crawl and itch and makes him wish he wasn’t there to hear it.   
  
The other man, taller and broader than the first, speaks “...I have no need for your approval, Xemnas.” The sword in his hands is gargantuan, only going up to his chest, but dwarfing their unknown observer. He drives it into the ground, creating a shockwave that echos out into into the air. The hedges shake and their leaves shed, filling the space. Their spectator flinches into his hiding spot, shielding his eyes from dust and debris.   
  
He only opens his eyes when he hears a laugh. Cold and empty, the cloaked man- Xemnas- laughs and shakes his head. Leaves fall neatly around his feet. It’s as if the wind itself refused to touch him. “And yet, you craved it once. Followed orders like a loyal dog. And that’s why I’m here of course. To give you another chance.”   
  
The guard- Lexaeus - says nothing, only surging forward in a rage, cleaving his sword into the place where the robed man stood. The earth splinters up in a cloud of dust, thick enough to obscure all view of the fight, but it doesn’t need to be seen to be felt. Every swing of that blade, brings with it the strength to move mountains. The cloud dissipates eventually and it’s just them, a fury of frantic strikes, breaking the silence of night. Lexaeus is on the defensive, sword held horizontally as the other’s twin red blades slam down into it over and over. A wave of sparks rushes off their every collision, but the robed man seems undeterred, slamming his blades down a final time, pressing into the other’s personal space before speaking “And like every dog who bites their master, I will put you down.”   


The guard is infuriated, sweeping his blade outward and driving the robed man back. He closes the gap in a single stride, and heaves that massive blade up and angles it down in a impressive feat of strength. “...I’ll crush you!” Lexaeus says as he swings it downward. It all happens so fast their observer can only look away as the robed man meets his violent end.

But he doesn't. There’s no sound, no scream, nothing to indicate that the destruction he’s witnessed so far has culminated into anything. Nothing but the sound of wind meets his ears. He gives into curiosity and opens his eyes to see Xemnas’ raised hand, sword caught mid swing between his fingers. “I’d like to see you try,” he says.   
  
Xemnas snaps the blade in half, it’s point landing dangerously close the hedge garden. And with his other hand, he closes the distance between them, and takes the guard by the throat. “Have you ever thought about why you disappoint me, Lexaeus? It is because you are weak.” The guard has both hands at his throat, but that only seems to tighten the other’s grip. “Only willing to go, part of the way. You aided in the creation kingdom hearts. Do not look away from all you have wrought.”   
  
_(“No, don’t look away.” A strong hand grips his arm and wrenches him forward. “The road to knowledge is littered with bodies, my boy. Don’t let their sacrifice be in vein. Look upon all you have wrought,” He squeezes his eyes shut, “And tell me, was it worth it?”)_   
  
The memory surfaces sharply, like a knife plunged into skin, and bringing with it pain of equal measure. He tries to brace himself against the hedge but his skull is split in two and the pain brings him to his knees.   
  
“Hm, it appears we have a guest.” The pain subsides quickly, and he looks up to see all eyes on him. The hooded figure raises his unoccupied hand towards him and every muscle in his body freezes. “Zexion... how good of you to join us,” the name feels familiar, but can’t be placed, like it doesn’t belong. He shakes it off as the man continues to speak, “I had my suspicions, but your transformation has been far more... dramatic than the others.”   
  
“...Ienzo?” The guard’s eyes widen but his words are strangled, noosed as the fingers around his neck tighten, but the fear in his eyes is all to real.   
  
Everything stops at the sound of two gloved hands’ coming together in a slow clap that echoes around the strange scene. “Well, well, well. Didn’t think I’d be seeing you so soon,” their guest, also cloaked in black,  motions at the other robed man, and then rakes his eyes over everything else, “or any of you, for that matter. I knew family reunions weren’t your thing, but man this is a bit much. Even for you.”   


“Xigbar,” Xemnas moves his attention to the other robed man, “Or do you go by Braig now?”   
  
“As if,” the man pulls his hood back to reveal a long black ponytail streaked with white and a eye patch that does little to hide a nasty jagged scar. “I couldn’t care less what you called me, so long as the job gets done.”   
  
“I see...then grab the boy, we have much to do.”   
  
“Woah woah woah, don’t be so hasty.” The man with the ponytail, holds his hands out in front of him dramatically, “Their hearts may have yielded nobodies before, but now? I’m not so sure.” One eye stares at him from his place on the ground, and he flinches away. “I mean...think about it boss, they’re all shiny and new, I doubt their hearts are even strong enough to survive the process. ‘Sides, if it were that easy you’d just take someone off the street, right?”

Xemnas curls his fingers into a fist, “You may have a point.” 

“Leave Aeleus to the babysitting.” Xigbar smiles “Let’s go.”

Lexeaus is discarded without fanfare, crumpling to the ground as the two men clad in black are swallowed by the darkness. The eyeless man looks back at him one last time, before his being is swallowed by the darkness and melts away into the floor.

The oppressive atmosphere is lifted, but it makes it no easier to breath. The guard is still, unmoving, but alive. He notes how Lexeaus’ chest rises and falls in time. It’s unnerving how easily he can discern the point between life and death, but he’s not so upset not to feel the incredible relief that washes over him to know that he’s still among the living. That he’s not alone.  

It’s then that he realizes just how tired he truly is. Exhausted by not knowing- not understanding what’s going on or who he is. Feeling his own mind hear itself apart is as his memories return in pieces is...debilitating to say the least. It makes the ground feel inviting, and he lets sleep envelop him for a final time. 


	2. A familiar face

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ienzo and Aeleus have a chat. Ienzo learns more about his past then he lets on, and Aeleus obtains a new goal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Or, the chapter where Ienzo is a baby and Aeleus decides to become a babysitter despite knowing fuck all about children.

By the third time he’s woken up in a unfamiliar place, the novelty of the experience has worn off. He sits up to rub the sleep out of his eyes and notices two things right off the bat. Firstly, the fact that that he wasn’t on the floor. _Well this is a new development_ , he thinks as his fingers touch the soft black leather of his...blanket? No, blankets aren’t usually made from leather or have tassles and chains for that matter. He lifts the cover up and realizes that this blanket is in fact, a coat. A long black hooded coat, styled in the same fashion as the robed man’s (the fight flashes behind his eyes and he takes a minute to breath). It’s so big it nearly swallows him up, no wonder he thought it was a blanket. A chill passes through his thin lab coat, so he slips it on, noting how the sleeves fall far past his fingers and hang off the side of the bed. He tries to roll them up, but then they look more like baby floaties, and considering how- as far as he knows- there isn’t any water nearby he makes the executive decision to let them hang.

Which leads to the second thing he noticed, mainly that this room is completely void of well, anything. No personal effects, no decorations, and certainly no water. There weren’t even sheets on the bed! Just the white mattress beneath him, the black coat that was currently pooling in his lap, and a tall doorway. It was odd to say the least, but he had to look on the bright side! At least he wasn’t trapped. He just couldn’t remember simple things like where he currently was or who anyone else was or who he was for that matter and- he forces himself to inhale. He can deal with one problem at a time and the problem he’s decided to tackle is first is the doorway, particularly where that doorway lead. Gathering the hem of the coat the best he can, he sets off.

He peers out from the small room into a narrow hallway, again lacking any type of decoration. There’s a door off to his left that (after very careful prodding) leads to a equally plain (and thankfully empty) bathroom. Which left the end of the hall. It opened up to a slightly larger room then the one he woke up in. There was a small kitchen in one corner of the room, with a few cabinets lining the walls. He opens a cupboard and is surprised to find a few pots and pans. He takes one out, noting the thick layer of dust. He wonders if they are all under used, and decides to test that hypothesis.

“Ienzo? Your wake?”

The pan clatters to the ground and he looks up, alarmed to see the guard from the night before staring down at him. And he is _much_ larger up close.

“Um,” he drops the hem of the coat and looks down at his shoes “I’m sorry. You can have your jacket back. If you want.”

“...no.” He says after a while, “I have no use for it.”

He looks down at the sea of fabric surrounding him, before thanking the man. He nods and silence fills the room. He has so many questions and no real answers, “Ienzo? That’s my name?” The question tumbles out of his mouth. The name sounds familiar, but not as familiar as it should. Like he had only heard it in passing once before.

The man however, only nods when he looks up for confirmation.

“What’s your name then?”

The large man takes his time answering. “You knew me as Aeleus.”  
  
“We knew each other?”

“You ask too many questions,” Aeleus ( _that name is far more familiar to him, gnawing at the edges of his mind_ ) says, “Help me clean this up, then I will answer your questions.”

Oh. He looks down at the kitchenware scattered across the floor, “Oh.” He quickly starts shoving them back into the cabinet one by one. By the time he’s done, the pots and pans and handles are all sticking out in odd places, and he can’t completely close the door, no matter how hard he shoves.

“Leave it.” Aeleus says, “And follow me.”

He takes long purposeful strides down the hallway, and Ienzo struggles to keep up. The boy is trying to run, but there’s a lot working against him at the moment. Maybe it’s the coat, dragging on the floor behind him, making his movements more sluggish. Or maybe he’s just tired, he’s been sleeping for who-knows how long, but that hasn’t stopped the exhaustion from seeping into his bones. It only takes one false step to have him pitching over and landing squarely on his face. It hurts, not as much as it should, but there’s a lot going on right now and it all feels so overwhelming. He starts willing away tears-

-but they don’t come. Instead, he felt a large arm wrap around his waist and lift him up like he weighed nothing. And he probably did to the guard, considering how the man’s arms were thicker than Ienzo’s entire head. He spent the next few seconds on Aeleus’ hip, bouncing with every stride (not unlike a saddle bag), before being sat down on the mattress.

Before he can even process it, the broad man is kneeling before him (only now are they both at eye level) and pushing his bangs back. “Your hurt,” Is all he says. He quickly tears the sleeve of his uniform, making the boy cringe.

“Your uniform-!”

“Is unneeded.” Aeleus says, reaching for the boy, only to have him pull away. He sighs, then quietly adds, “There is no one left to serve.”

It’s not a lot, but it is enough for Ienzo to relax just slightly, and let the man press the cloth to his forehead. It goes on wet- he must have been bleeding. But he feels fine so at least he hasn’t suffered a concussion.

“Tell me if you feel unwell, or unsteady,” Aeleus says says, as if reading minds were his other hobby aside from weightlifting and apparently, first aid. He ties the cloth at it’s ends making the band-aid more of a makeshift headband, but it was more than enough.

“Thank you. But I’m tired of waiting!” Ienzo says, failing his arms a bit (for dramatic effect), “Will you answer my questions now?”

He hears a husky laugh, and looks to see Aeleus smiling for the first time. He wants to pout, even knowing that it was his own childishness that brought chuckle on in the first place, but his smile is so warm, it makes him want to smile too.

The moment passes, but smile stays perched on the guard’s face. “...You were never one for waiting, what do you want to know?”

Ienzo stops to really think about his question. His first priority was the robed man. He was a threat unlike the boy had ever seen, and the way he easily overpowered Aeleus was disquieting to say the least. “Who was that robed man? The one who hurt you?”

Aeleus’ hand reaches up to the crest of his neck, before freezing halfway. He lets the hand fall before resigning to the question with a sigh, “...He is no one for you to be concerned with.”

“But you knew him.” Ienzo persists, “You spoke like you knew each other.”

There is another pause before Aelelus speaks again, “Those robed men are dangerous-”

“Not you!” Ienzo’s head hurts but he continues to press. “This jacket- this is the same jacket he wore and you said it was _yours_ . But your not a bad person!” He’s dangerously close to tears again, but there's something nagging at the corners of his conscious and he _needs_ Aeleus to know-

_The rain came down in sheets that day, pouring over the scene. He wondered if it would wash away the blood. The other man had long since ran off, leaving the first kneeling in a pool of sanguine fluid that was not his own. It stained the pavement and but the rain helped it trail down into the storm drains. He doesn’t know why he approaches the man in the uniform, but he does so on wobbly feet. He presses a hand onto the man’s arm to steady himself and can feel just how drenched he is. Not that Ienzo is any different- the water is cold uncomfortable, weighing down his lab coat. Still he tries his best to be comforting. After a moment, the man speaks, “If this is strength’s purpose…the I care not for it. Hurting others is the rule of beasts.”_

_Ienzo doesn’t have a clue what the guy is talking about- not in the slightest, but he can read a mood, and for whatever it’s worth, he knows that sadness shouldn’t be what he’s feeling, not after that exchange. “But you saved us! Your not a be-beast!” He stumbles over the word, but quickly continues in hopes of getting his point across. “Your not a bad person at all.”_

_The man is startled, like he’s just noticing that Ienzo was standing with him (which was very rude, but he’s upset so Ienzo will let it slide for today). He looks as if he’s going to say something, but is interrupted._

_“Little Ienzo!” They both turn to see a man in a red scarf, his face obscured by the umbrella he carries. “Come inside at once.” It doesn’t take much to know that he was in a world of trouble, scampering back towards the man with all the grace of a chocobo on skates. “And bring your brave friend there!” He adds, smile evident in his voice, “I would like to thank him properly.”_

The memory rises like a tsunami and crashes with just as much devastation. Ienzo closes his eyes, and clutches at his skull. He can hear Aeleus, even feel his hands on his shoulders, but it’s all so far away. It feels like he’s underwater.

“I-im ok.” He says after a moment. He feels dizzy and tired, but is otherwise fine. The scene catches up to him and he sees a look of concern upon those usually stoic features and feels a hand on his forehead.

“You need to rest.” Aeleus says before getting to his feet. Or at least trying to. A small hand weakly hooks around his wrist. “Wait. You said you’d answer my questions.” Aeleus doesn’t respond, but he doesn’t leave either. Ienzo takes that as his cue. “What happened to us?”

  
“We were transformed.” It’s not a answer, not in the slightest. But Aeleus had turned his back to him, a clear sign that this conversation is over.   
  
“Wait,- uh, please,” it just slips out in a half baked attempt to gather more information. Aeleus turns back to the boy, face unmoving. “Was I...did I do something wrong? When we were _transformed_ , I mean”

  
Aeleus takes a characteristically long pause. He closes his eyes and exhales, “You were... my friend.”

“That’s- that’s good.” Is all Ienzo can say before he relief overcomes him and him slumps back into the mattress and almost falls off the bed. When he looks up, Aeleus is giving him a peculiar look, head cocked to the side with one eyebrow raised. Ienzo offers an explanation, “Well, your not a bad person. You’ve taken care of me after all. So if we were friends before, then maybe I wasn’t so bad either.”  
  
Aeleus’ lips turn up slightly and he quietly leaves the room. Sleep comes quickly that night.   
  
\----------------------

The door creaks open and Aeleus breaths a breath of relief as he watches the small bundle under his old coat rise and fall. He knew this child. Was once even considered apart of his life. He remembers their small team, their family and how it all came crashing down in a matter of months.

He closes the door and leans against one of the walls, letting something else bare the brunt of his being for a while. Ienzo didn’t remember him, didn’t remember their home, their castle, their king. But the boy also couldn’t remember their time in the Organization. And if he couldn't remember, Aeleus wasn’t going to be the one to remind him. Ienzo deserved a childhood- a family. And Aeleus would do his best to provide- it was only right to return the favor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I really liked how this chapter turned out. A lot better than the last one actually. Also the fluff is happening!!!! It's not there yet but I'm hoping to get some other characters in there soon. Maybe the restoration committee~! And again, thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading this far! I promise by the second episode I'll give our protagonist his name back (there is a thematic reason for this I promise) so don't worry it gets less confusing! Don't blame me, blame Nomura


End file.
